Hidden RadioBluetooth Speaker

87.5% Fresh

Simply lift the cap. The further you lift the cap, the louder it goes.

The HiddenRadio & Bluetooth Speaker is based off minimal, timeless design and user intuition. When asleep it hides all its functions, being silent and unanimated. To turn it on you simply twist and lift the cap; the further you lift the cap the more internal volume is created and will amplify to over 80dB of crystal clear sound. This unique design connects and captivates the user through its intuitive functionality.

THE FREEDOM OF BLUETOOTH

The speaker wirelessly supports iPhone, iPad or any other smartphone, tablet or computer via Bluetooth technology. If you have multiple speakers throughout your home, you can enjoy radiant sound, while seamlessly switching between them. Don’t have a Bluetooth device? It’s not s a problem: the HiddenRadio has a 3.5mm audio input plug that allows you to plug-in any device without Bluetooth functionality. We’ve also added a great built in AM/FM radio.

ENDLESS SOUND QUALITY

The rechargeable batteries support a whopping 30+ hours of streaming music: easily enough for a weekend away or to get you through the busy workweek. We’ve tested it along side the leading products on the market and The HiddenRadio has excelled in both sound quality and volume power.

Here’s what the press has been saying

“John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen’s radio concept is unassuming and inviting; it truly looks like something that is good to touch.”
Mocoloco.com

Gilded Product

The radio was beautiful and it felt nice and solid to hold. The product took a page from Apple aesthetics and packaging but failed to replicate apple user experience and quality. My largest complaints were the poor sound quality and horrible radio interface, first if I am paying $149 per radio, it better sound like Carnegie Hall, it did not. Second the radio antenna was horrible, it was just a thin wire and barely got any reception. I was trying to listen to KQED which is less than 1.5 miles from my house, at times the static was so bad I could not comprehend the host. Also the interface for finding your radio station is horrible, you have no indication as to which station you are currently on. I had to stream KQED on my iPhone and then compare it to what was coming out of the radio to find the station.

The twisting part is interesting, I liked the concept but it felt like it should have turned the in the other direction. Also the sticky/grippy bottom didn't work very well, so sometimes when I tried to turn on the radio the entire radio would move.

The bluetooth worked well and was very easy to connect with my phone. However I disliked having to physically move a switch to choose between bluetooth and radio. The logic should have been simple, if I don't have a bluetooth device connected it should just default to the preset radio station, which also doubles as an aux in, once a bluetooth device is connected, kill the radio and stream from the bluetooth device. If I want the radio to be silent, turn it off.

In the end, this is a designers product, it looks nice, feels nice, came in nice packaging, had an interesting and intuitive interface, would have been more intuitive if it rotated the other way, but it functioned like crap. They got the twisting to turn on part right, but failed to address all other aspects of UX and functionality.

Great speaker, but with some flaws

The Hidden Radio is designed incredibly well and has the aesthetics of an Apple product. I mostly used the Hidden Radio with my iPhone through Bluetooth. Sound quality isn't bad from such a small device and with 360 degree sound, it fills up a room fairly well. It is fantastic for background music at parties and easy to bring around.

Unfortunately, I found the lack of bass a bit disappointing, but admittedly I am a bass junkie. Another issue is the grip on the speaker. Sometimes it doesn't grip to the surface and it makes changing the volume or turning the device on and off a pain. I pick up the device and change it with two hands when this happens, but there isn't much area to grip on the bottom when the device is in the closed position.

Overall, I think this is a great product. The sound quality is pretty nice. The form factor is incredibly sleek and gets a lot of attention. And, pairing it up to a Bluetooth device is simple.

I listened to everything from jazz, to classic rock, to hip hop, and to electronic dance music. It sounds great for all genres, but just wished it had a bit more kick for drum and bass heavy songs. But I wasn't expecting too much from such a small speaker.

Good looking, easy to operate speaker

I'm a big fan of the Hidden Radio's sleek design. It fits right in with the decor in any room, much like Apple products do. I was looking for a speaker to play kids music in our family room. Increasing the volume is as easy as twisting the top, which is great for small hands. I also loved how easy it was to pair with my iPhone for music and Pandora streaming. My one issue is with the sound when I want it to play softly. I can't turn the sound below 40% on my iPhone in bluetooth mode or it will go to sleep after 3 minutes, but when I keep the volume up on my iPhone and twist down the top of the Hidden Radio the music sounds muffled - almost like I've stuck a pillow over it. I was hoping for a cleaner, softer sound capability. That being said, with two little ones in the house the times when I need quiet music are few and far between. When the sound is up it fills the room really nicely.

A Sleek Little Music Pod

When I first saw the Hidden Radio, the thing that impressed me was the design. It's sleek, simple and modern and fits in aesthetically with my other electronic devices. The twist to adjust volume action was very intuitive, but it was easier to twist down than up. Perhaps they could add some sort of mechanism to the design to make that more UX friendly?

The sound quality was pretty much what I'd expect from a small speaker and I was even surprised at the achievable volume. The radial aspect of the sound is great for sitting in the middle of the table during dinner or a card game. I was a little put off by the bass quality, but it was perfect for tinny jazz and blues. Overall I give it a thumbs up.

Pretty decent little sound box

Admittedly, I always tend to be a skeptical of gadgets that take simplicity to an extreme. I'm a power user, I like options and configurability. With that said, Hidden Radio left me with an overall positive impression.
The outer shell seems like it would offer a good measure of protection for portability, the LED indicator is cool in that it gives proper feedback on what mode it's in as well as the bluetooth connection status. The sound quality (specifically the bass) is about what I would expect for a modern portable speaker. The only things I would like to see improved are related to friction. If the twisting action could be smoother or the pad on the bottom could grip better (maybe a fine tread pattern?) I think the experience would be markedly better.
I think my favorite part was the 360 degree sound. Plopped this down on the table while me and the roommates ate dinner and it worked rather well for the purpose. It is able to fill a room with sound like it claims.

Portable, Powerful, Delightful

The hidden radio is a bad ass little party machine. Its simple design let's you pack it up and take it with you, and the Bluetooth is super intuitive. Like Chris said, the only concern is with the grip of the rubber base vs. the friction of turning the knob, sometimes its a little hard to twist without twisting the whole device. The sound has some of the better bass I've heard in a mobile Bluetooth speaker, and the round design allows sound to project in 360 degrees. This little guy would be perfect for an afternoon at the park or a quick game night in. Overall, I'm impressed.

A simple, good sounding portable speaker

The Hidden Speaker surprised me. I wanted to try out a portable speaker because I move around a lot.

I really like well made, simple products, and this thing definitely fits. It's construction feels solid, and it's very intuitive to use. Turn the cover down and the volume goes down, pull it up and it goes up. The LED is about as helpful as it can be - it lets you know when you're connected, when its in bluetooth mode, and when it's on FM radio. I'm not really a radio listener, so I didn't try it much, but the sound quality over FM was a little spotty.

The sound quality over bluetooth, however, really impressed me. I think the only portable speaker to rival it would be the Jambox. For it's weight, a 15 hour battery life is pretty amazing too.

Over all, I'd definitely recommend it.

Awesome design, average sound quality

The simplistic design makes this a great product in terms of appearance. It looked nice alongside my Apple products. However, the speaker quality was a bit disappointing, especially compared to my Jambox. Hidden Radio played audio at a loud enough level for me, but I found that it did not have a robust bass sound, something that is very important to me for listening to music.

I loved the idea for turning the cap to increase/decrease the volume - it's very functional and prevents the need for buttons on the exterior. Still, I had to pick up the speaker everytime I wanted to change the volume because it moved on my table whenever I tried to do so. That was frustrating.

Nonetheless, it's not a bad speaker for playing music on-the-go and at small events with friends and family. The sound won't blow you away, but it'll get the job done and it looks great.

Great sound but some setbacks

The sound was great coming from the speaker. Booming bass, and the volume was incredible.
The downside to this speaker was the bluetooth keeps dropping about every minute. You may be listening to something, or watching Youtube and then instant silence.
The only way to get it to reconnect was to screw it down then re-open it back up. For this reason I wouldn't buy the hidden radio until some improvements are made, you'll be disappointed.

I liked but

I liked the hidden Radio. It hooked up by bluetooth great. Found radio stations fast. But the connections for recharging and such are really hard to connect to, as very small space. The sound is ok. But not the best I have heard. It is a neat radio.

Little but works

The Hidden radio is small but it does sound good. The only issue i have is i really wish it was a little louder. I will only use this with my ipod with headphones as it isn't loud enough to just play publicly. Other then it not being loud enough i would recommend it for ipods